EVANSTON, Ill. -- After a weekend away from home, Northwestern returns to Lakeside Field on Saturday to host Big Ten foe Minnesota, who is receiving votes in the latest NSCAA poll. This is the lone match of the weekend for the Wildcats as kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT. Nearing the home stretch of the 2013 season, the Wildcats have six regular-season matches remaining and four of those will take place at Lakeside Field.

Pre-Game Clinic SaturdayThe Wildcats will host a clinic prior to Saturday’s contest vs. Minnesota. The clinic runs from 3-4 p.m., and participants will receive instruction from members of the Northwestern women’s soccer team. For more information and to register, visit this link or email wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu.

It’s a double-header day at Lakeside Field on Saturday as the Northwestern men’s soccer team plays after the women, hosting SIU-Edwardsville at 7:30 p.m. One ticket will be good for both matches.

Surely SierksSenior midfielder Julie Sierks scored her second goal of the season, third of her career, last Friday at Indiana. Her goal late in the match (77:07) tied things up at 1-1 with the Hoosiers. Sierks has been a key component off the bench for Northwestern this year, playing in all 13 matches while making two starts. On Friday at Indiana, she subbed in at the 63:14 mark before scoring her goal in the 77th minute.

Her first goal of the year also came in a reserve role at Notre Dame on Aug. 25. After entering the match late in the first half, Sierks started the second and just 1:32 into the frame, she found the back of the net for her second career goal. Two of her three career goals were scored against the Fighting Irish as she also tallied another goal during her freshman campaign at Notre Dame.

Super SteinerFreshman forward Addie Steiner has had a number of quality scoring opportunities for the Wildcats in the last three games. In the last three matches, she has a combined eight shots to rank second on the team, including a team-leading four at Indiana with two on target. Against Iowa, the NU newcomer had three shots, two on goal.

Steiner has yet to score so far this season but assisted on a goal in NU’s 2-0 win over Oakland for her first career point. The Prairie Village, Kan., native has played all 13 matches, starting seven, and ranks third on the team with 21 shots but is second on the squad with 10 shots on goal.

Keeping It CloseNorthwestern’s Big Ten record is not indicative of how close the team’s five conference matches have been so far this year. All five matches have been decided by a goal with two taking double-overtime to determine an outcome. NU opened the conference slate by nearly upsetting No. 9 Penn State on its home pitch and also came close against a Nebraska team that was receiving votes in the NSCAA poll, outshooting the Huskers 24-10. The matchup with Iowa came down to a late penalty kick for the Hawkeyes while last weekend’s matches at Indiana and Purdue also were decided by a goal with the game against the Hoosiers heading to double-OT.

In conference-only games, Northwestern ranks sixth in the Big Ten averaging 15.00 shots per game. Senior forward Kate Allen is tied for first in the Big Ten, averaging 5.40 shots per game in the five conference matches so far this year. Her three goals in Big Ten matches also ties her for third amongst conference players. On the defensive side, the team is averaging 6.00 saves per Big Ten match, good enough for third.

Know the Foe: Minnesota2013 Record: 9-3-1, 2-2-1 Big TenNotable: Minnesota is in the midst of a three-match unbeaten streak with a 1-0 win at then-No. 13 Michigan on Sept. 29 and a 1-0 upset over then-No. 7 Penn State at home last weekend. Minnesota also battled Ohio State to a 0-0 tie on Oct. 4. The Golden Gophers have only scored two goals in conference play, but that was all they needed to defeat Michigan and Penn State. Freshman goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as well as Co-Freshman of the Week after posting seven saves in each shutout against the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.More Info:GopherSports.com